Tall pillars flanked the double front doors and supported a classically designed portico. Torchlight played over the footmen in crimson livery and the procession of finely garbed guests going up the marble steps. She drew an unsteady breath. Though the mid-May evening was mild, a shiver prickled her skin. This magnificent residence belonged to her grandfather, the Duke of Houghton. Long ago, her mother had lived here as a child, whenever the ducal family had been in London. This was the moment Maddy had long anticipated. At last, she would be entering the belly of the beast. Instead of a sense of triumph, however, she’d felt tense and queasy for the past few days, her stomach twisted into knots. She wanted this confrontation, she craved it with all her heart and soul. Yet now that the time had come, she dreaded it as well. Emily joined her, leaning close to whisper, “Are you quite certain Lord Theo will be here?” Nathan’s sister looked especially beautiful tonight with her russet-brown curls pinned up and her face glowing from the skillful application of cosmetics.
